Black Copper Equestrian

Black Copper Equestrian Certified On The Bit Tack Inc. Bit & Bridle Fitter, Equinology Level 1 Equine Bodyworker, EC Registed Coach and some Training available

I am so excited to add a new therapy pad to my bodywork sessions. This pad has different wavelengths, 940nm(infrared)-66...
06/28/2025

I am so excited to add a new therapy pad to my bodywork sessions. This pad has different wavelengths, 940nm(infrared)-660nm(red light)-430nm(blue light). My sponsor, Goldride produces incredible products not only for our horses, but can be used on humans and dogs too.
This new product will help my clients with proven benefits such as, increase circulation, reduce inflammation, stimulate cellular regeneration.
This can help in many ways with, accelerating healing, joint support and recovery and repair just to name a few.
Not only a fantastic product, but a Canadian company🇨🇦!
Stay tuned to see this product in action 👏

A huge Congratulations to one of my bodywork clients! They were super successful in the L’International d’Attelage de Br...
06/25/2025

A huge Congratulations to one of my bodywork clients! They were super successful in the L’International d’Attelage de Bromont recently. To be a small part of this successful team, while they’re in Canada, means a lot. Red is also the cutest little pony around, she’s gorgeous ☺️
This part of equestrian sport is not well known in Canada, and I’ve learned so much about it during my session. I hope to get out one day to go watch an event… Almost the cart version of eventing, so cool!
Congratulations again!

When it’s hotter than the sun ☀️ and you can’t ride… You use your new stability pads, Darcy’s non-backed muscle building...
06/23/2025

When it’s hotter than the sun ☀️ and you can’t ride… You use your new stability pads, Darcy’s non-backed muscle building tools….and the perfect thing to do on a hot hot 🥵 couple of days. After 10 mins on back feet and 10 mins on the fronts, he had a full back rounding stretch accompanied by a big grunt 😆All while getting his monthly bodywork session…

06/23/2025

We went from a very wet spring to now the complete opposite 🤦‍♀️ Remember that we need to make sure our horses hooves stay healthy in all weather. To help prevent crack in dry weather applying Hoof Doctor x Equine One Hoof Shine can help. It provides hydration with its blend of fish oil, vegetable oil, castor oil, birch bark extract to make a few… Bonus, it has an incredible citrus smell ❤️
Don’t forget to use discount code BLACKCOPPEREQUESTRIA for your 10% off! Support Canadian Companies!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫1- I never lunge with a bridle…. Why?✔️No mat...
06/22/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫

1- I never lunge with a bridle…. Why?

✔️No matter how good your horse is, the bit will have extra lateral tension, bits are not meant to have lateral tension or movement
✔️If for some reason the horse gets “extra” and pulls the lunge or steps on it, severe damage to the oral cavity can occur
✔️I personally always use a breakaway halter for this, again in case the horse steps on the lunge

2- I always keep the bridle path clipped/cut…. Why?

✔️ When a bridle is applied, “spikey” hair or a bulk of hair can add extra pressure under the crown piece onto the pole…. Also applies to having a halter on
✔️Make sure your area is clipped/cut to at least slightly longer area than your crown piece

3- Work on different terrain… Why?

✔️ If your horse isn’t good to hack under saddle, hand hack (which I do with Darcy)
✔️Different terrain is proven to be beneficial to joints and bone health (especially in young growing horses)
✔️ Works different muscles, even if only at a walk
✔️Low impact exercise and change of scenery

4- Incorporate lower impact exercises…. Why?

✔️ Poles and cavalettis are a lower impact exercises to make the horse bend joints more to help with mobility
✔️ Helps the horse develop coordination (ok, some are a loss cause 😂 but worth trying anyways)
✔️ Can help develop core muscles that are crucial to help protect/support our horse’s backs

5- Change up to workout… Why?

✔️ If you always do flat work and same exercises, you are always working the same muscles
✔️ Different disciplines can help each other, just because you’re a dressage rider, you don’t need to jump 3 or 4 feet to have benefits… Vis versa, jumper horses can benefit from flat work to develop different muscles
✔️ Changes the challenge for your horse, makes them think differently (ie. looking for distance and different balance required)

6- At minimum a 10 mins walk warm-up…. Why?

✔️ Muscles need time to warm up, especially if the horse has been stalled for any amount of time
✔️ Motion is lotion, joints need time to move in order to get the synovial fluid (the fluid in all joints) moving to lubricate the joints
✔️ The colder the weather, the longer the walk warm-up should be. In winter, I hand walk 10 mins, then get on and walk for another 10 mins
✔️This has also been extensively studied, I’m not making it up
✔️The older the horse, the longer the warm-up needs to be (think of you getting out of bed at 16 vs 46…. Believe me, you don’t move as well and as quickly 🙄)

7- At minimum a 10 mins cool down…. Why?

✔️ Just like humans, if you work hard and don’t cool down, your muscles are more likely to develop lactic acid and cause muscles soreness
✔️ Keep in mind the intensity of the work you did… Adjust accordingly. If I w/t for 20 mins vs went cross country with your horse, the cool down will be significantly different
✔️Keep temperature in mind, hot months require possibly longer cool down vs winter months. Either way cool down is required!
✔️Make sure your horse’s respiration rate is back to normal before going back in the barn
✔️ Cool down can be partially backed or fully backed, or partially in hand or fully in hand. The goal is a proper cool down

Not everyone will agree with these reasons but with my education as bit and bridle fitter, as well as a bodyworker, these are reasons I do the things I do… Wether professional or adult amateur… it all applies!

06/18/2025

Post ODF we have been hard at work. Baby steps, but some great improvements. Still some tension, especially in the canter, but it’s getting there. For a “smaller” horse (I call him my pocket rocket), he is a surprisingly big expressive mover, which I’m learning to ride and trust.
Yesterday was our Equicore Concepts LLC training day… Making him work that b***y 🙈

06/01/2025

Ottawa Dressage Festival 2025 is done ✔️ It was sun, rain, wind and cold but we survived. I was beyond proud on how Darcy handled the whole atmosphere! The scores were definitely not what I had hoped (I think our rides were better than the scores reflected). We definitely know our weak spots, and will work damn hard this summer to fix them. I can’t thank my coach, Duncan, enough for everything this weekend. Your support and advice means the world to me. To my incredible parents for stepping in as grooms in Dave’s absence. You were troopers dealing with some awful cold weather. To my amazing husband, who couldn’t be there, for all the txt’s of support and calls with pep talks when I felt defeated. It truly takes a village!
I must also thank Hoof Doctor x Equine One for keeping Darcy’s hooves in tiptop shape to compete and to Goldride for helping keep Darcy’s body feeling great!

Day 2 at ODF was a challenging one.. it was very cold with rain and then the rain left but the wind came (as seen by me ...
05/31/2025

Day 2 at ODF was a challenging one.. it was very cold with rain and then the rain left but the wind came (as seen by me in a jacket over my show jacket AND Darcy wearing a quarter sheet on May 31st🤦‍♀️) Considering all of this, Darcy handled the very soppy footing for the first ride and the crazy wind for our second ride very well. BUT his anxiety/tension got the best of him again today, and his mother also had her challenges. THAT said, he had some lovely moments but we definitely lacked consistency. Scores were definitely not what I was hoping for and it’s really hard not to get defeated. In my classes, I’m riding against professional riders so there’s that too.
Let’s hope the weather is better for our last day at ODF tomorrow and I can show a little more of Darcy’s potential 💙

Day 1 at ODF is in the books! Dresden’s Pride MP (Darcy) held his brain together during is very busy warm-up ring and al...
05/30/2025

Day 1 at ODF is in the books! Dresden’s Pride MP (Darcy) held his brain together during is very busy warm-up ring and all the noise and movement during our test. Tension got the better of him.. ok and me 🙈, and our nemesis the right lead canter got us again. All that said, today wasn’t about my score or a ribbon. Today was about exposing Darcy and allowing him to have a good experience, which I think we accomplished. Comments from the judges are exactly what we’ve been working on, so I know we are working on the right things (not that I ever doubted my coach on this lol) Tomorrow we will attempt a few different things and see what happens. I’m so beyond proud on how Darcy handled this whole atmosphere thus far.

Darcy is all settled in at the Ottawa Dressage Festival. This is Darcy’s first big boy horse show, and so far he’s been ...
05/29/2025

Darcy is all settled in at the Ottawa Dressage Festival. This is Darcy’s first big boy horse show, and so far he’s been behaving like a pro 💙

💜Happy 18th Birthday Maggie💜 after 10 years together, I love you more than I ever thought possible. Every time I come se...
05/21/2025

💜Happy 18th Birthday Maggie💜 after 10 years together, I love you more than I ever thought possible. Every time I come see you, you nicker, and put the biggest smile on my face. You are the Queen, and always will be!
Today, you got some of your favourite things, An Apple, grain and Guinness mash with a side of Jolly Rancher and to top it all off, some delicious green grass.
Happy birthday to my most special Maggie Mae!

05/20/2025

With show season in full swing, we all want our horses hooves to be in tip top shape. Sometimes horses are horses, and Darcy got a decent crack in his hind hoof 🤦‍♀️ Hoof Doctor x Equine One Hoof Doctor Oil has been key in keeping his hoof healthy and strong while it grows out. Make sure that you have Hoof Doctor products in your kit at all times!

Make sure to use discount code MAY25 for 25% off until the end of the month

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Gananoque, ON

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